


Moving On

by StrangerWithMyFace



Category: Captain America (2011), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-27
Updated: 2012-03-19
Packaged: 2017-10-26 14:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/284127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangerWithMyFace/pseuds/StrangerWithMyFace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set just after Steve Rogers wakes up in the 2010s, he's not interested in much of anything. Originally an attempt to introduce Sharon Carter into the movieverse, but Peggy kind of took over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love the Cap movie but it makes me sad at the end. Yet the comics solution of having Sharon look so much like Peggy kind of creeps me out. It's superficial. I'd like her to be interesting in her own right, you know? So then I started thinking about Sharon and I started writing this from her perspective. I'm making it up as I go; there are some nods to comic canon but I'm doing my own thing. Also, I don't think the SHIELD agent at the end of the movie is Sharon; it's possible I'm totally wrong but I picture her blonde and kind of cranky (almost like Veronica Mars). So yeah.
> 
> I have too many feelings.

Sharon Carter wanted to be an agent of SHIELD for as long as she could remember. Not many people could say that, since SHIELD wasn't as widely known as the CIA or FBI. But it was all Sharon wanted so she went after it the moment she graduated. She had to remind herself of this everyday, when she walked into her non-descript office building and saw mostly middle-aged faces. It bothered her that most people assumed she was someone's assistant or an intern.

She tried not to let it show. The best agents never let their emotions show.

“Hey, Lucky Thirteen!” Bob called, as she arrived for the meeting.

Sharon waved and smiled. Her coworkers had taken to calling her 13 due to some unlucky first assignments. The day she started work in Virginia, Culver University had a “Hulk incident” and most of the office was destroyed. It only got worse from there.

She supposed the nickname should have bothered her at least as much as the assistant assumptions, but it didn't. Agent 13 was her favorite on _Get Smart_ (excepting Agent 99, of course). She imagined hiding in a potted plant might be more interesting than some of the surveillance operations she had gotten recently.

Agent Jackson began the meeting and spoke of the recent “movements” of their terrorism suspect. The guy hadn't left his apartment in days. Sharon wondered if SHIELD would consider it a victory if the guy had slipped in his tub and drown. The bad guys were not all masterminds.

“... and Carter? Maria Hill asked to see you ASAP,” he said.

Sharon nearly spit out her coffee. Why would Maria Hill want to talk to her? Hill was Nick Fury's right-hand woman. Sharon had never met her, and all she really knew about her was that a lot of the guys thought she was “a bitch.” This endeared her to Sharon somewhat. But now she began to think back and wonder what she had done wrong? Why was she in trouble?

Bob smirked at her. “More good luck, huh?” he said as everyone rose to go about their business. Sharon smiled wanly.

Getting to Maria Hill's office took some time. She had to show her security clearance three times, twice they called Hill to confirm that she was expected. When she got off the elevator, she saw Nick Fury himself walking down the hall. Sharon tried to play it cool, but she had to admit she was a little starstruck. _The_ Nick Fury!

“Agent Carter,” Maria Hill was waiting for Sharon in the doorway of her office. She shook Sharon's hand and ushered her inside. The office was huge; the desk alone was bigger than Sharon's cubicle. “I don't want to waste your time, so I'll get right to the point,” Hill began in a no-nonsense tone. “On your application to the academy, when asked if any of your relatives worked for SHIELD you put that your aunt—one Margaret Carter—worked for the SSR during the Second World War. Is that correct?”

Sharon blinked. “Yes,” she said. She had not expected to be asked about her Aunt Peggy at all. It had not even crossed her mind that this was what Maria Hill needed to see her about.

“What happened to Margaret Carter?” Hill asked.

Sharon hated this, not knowing what was going on. “I'm not sure what you mean,” she said. Nothing had happened to Peggy; she was alive, living in Virginia with Sharon's father.

“What'd she do after the war? Did she get married? Have kids? How'd she die? That kind of thing,” Hill clarified.

“She worked for the SSR for several years after the war but was gone by the time it became SHIELD,” Sharon said. “My father is much younger than her, so when my grandparents died, she took responsibility for him, and then for me when I was born. She never married and--unless you have big news for me--she's not dead.”

Maria Hill exhaled sharply. “Where is she now?”

“In Virginia, at our house?” Sharon didn't mean for it to come out like a question. She knew her aunt Peggy didn't go out into the world much, never used a computer, and that a cursory background check wouldn't turn anything up. She hadn't realized, however, that Aunt Peggy couldn't be found by _SHIELD_ if they put their minds to it.

Sharon was so proud.

“I'll have to tell Coulson,” Hill muttered to herself. Sharon could see the wheels in Hill's head turning; this changed her plans for some reason.

“Can I ask what this is regarding?” Sharon ventured.

Hill sighed again and added something else to her mental list. “I suppose I'll have to get you the clearance too...”

*

The next day, a SHIELD agent wearing sunglasses appeared at her desk. Somehow he'd managed to approach without her hearing or noticing.

“Agent Carter,” he said. “May I have a word?”

All the other agents in her department watched curiously a they walked by. She followed him to an empty room. He told her that his name was Agent Coulson and that he was working on the Avengers Initiative. All she knew about the Avengers Initiative was that Tony Stark was a consultant; she thought that guy seemed like a tool.

And then, as Agent Coulson was speaking, it dawned on her. She felt idiotic for not realizing it sooner. “Sir, is this about Captain America?” she asked.

Coulson did not reply.

“Are you trying to recreate the program?” she tried again. She vaguely remembered her Aunt Peggy being worried that they would try again, that someone would get hurt.

“No,” Coulson replied evenly. “We are not recreating the program. But we would like to speak to your aunt about it. Can you arrange that?”

“Sure,” Sharon said. Her aunt was always complaining that Sharon didn't visit enough.

“Good,” Coulson said. “There is a plane set to take-off at thirteen hundred hours. Some tech guys are needed in the DC office; we're going to hitch a ride.”

“Today?” Sharon couldn't imagine what was so urgent about a seventy-year-old program.

Coulson nodded. “Can you be ready by then?”

“Me? Easily, but I guess I should call Aunt Peggy...”

*

Coulson greeted her at the airstrip. “Everything set?” he asked. She nodded. “Good.” Then he turned and walked away. He spoke to a blonde man. Sharon was one of the youngest SHIELD agents she knew of, but this guy appeared a bit younger than her. After watching him for a bit, she decided he carried himself more like a soldier than a spy. And he looked more bewildered than Sharon felt. Coulson stuck close by him, like he might bolt at any moment.

Sharon didn't know what that was about, and she had long ago learned not to ask. The SHIELD pilot stood off to the side, smoking a cigarette, and scowling. So she found herself standing with two other men who identified themselves as David and Nathan. She didn't have to ask what they did; Coulson had mentioned tech guys and they were definitely not field agents.

The three of them chatted amiably about TV shows during boarding and take-off. When Dave and Nate discovered she was a _Get Smart_ fan, they needed to hear her opinion on the recent film version. Somehow this took about an hour, which was the bulk of the flight. Sharon was glad for her training; it let her converse with the tech guys while still listening in to what Coulson said to the soldier. It wasn't much, but she heard Coulson address the other man as “Captain Rogers” which made Sharon wonder if this young man was related to Steven Rogers, which had been Captain America's real name. They always changed his surname in the movies to Walker or Bradley.

When the tech guys disembarked, the plane got very quiet. She could tell from the way the pilot looked at her curiously that he had thought she was getting off in DC too. What was so secret that no one seemed to know what was going on?

“Agent Carter,” Coulson said, waving her over.

The soldier reacted oddly to that. His head snapped up and he focused intently on her. He stood as she approached, something she was sure the FAA would not recommend, and didn't sit back down until she was settled across from him.

Coulson surreptitiously pulled a tiny device from his pocket. It emitted a low humming sound, to keep anyone listening in from hearing their conversation. Another sign that this was top secret; there were only four of them on the plane and she was sure the pilot couldn't hear through his headset _and_ the sound of the engine.

“This is Sharon Carter; she's a SHIELD agent,” Coulson began the introductions. “Agent Carter, this is Capt. Steve Rogers; we revived him three days ago.”

Sharon was sure she was staring. She couldn't help it. She thought her brain might be broken. _Revived_ him? Then this was... ?

Coulson continued, unperturbed. “I'm sure you know that the search for his plane was called off after the end of the war; well last week two scientists happened upon him in the Arctic.” He turned to look at the man sitting next to him. “He was surprisingly well-preserved.”

The man Coulson had just proclaimed a national hero made an endearing embarrassed face. “I didn't mean to cause such a fuss,” he said, shyly.

Sharon worried that the message she had left for her aunt (“I'll be coming by with some other SHIELD agents later today. Miss you.”) was woefully deficient. Surprises could cause heart attacks? Couldn't they? “Maybe I ought to talk to her first, alone,” she said. “and explain.”

“You mean your aunt Margaret,” Coulson said.

“Peggy,” Sharon and Captain America corrected him at the same time. Her aunt had never liked being called Margaret.

An awkward silence fell. At last Steve Rogers spoke, asking the question Sharon was sure he had been dying to ask since she sat down. “Is Peggy... Is she well?”

The world was cruel, Sharon thought. She'd seen old photographs of her aunt; in fact, she had some on the wall of her apartment as inspiration. Aunt Peggy had once been gorgeous—and she was still fit and attractive for her age—but it had been _seventy years_. “She's in her 90s,” Sharon began. “She doesn't get out much but she's still... all there if that's what you mean?”

“Do you think she'll remember me?” he asked. If he didn't look so earnest she would've laughed in his face. She looked to Coulson to confirm the seriousness of this question; he simply shrugged.

“Yes,” Sharon replied honestly.

“We had a date,” Captain Rogers said quietly. Sharon wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.

Sharon stayed silent. She had known there was a romantic element to Aunt Peggy's relationship with Captain America. Peggy was very proud to say that she had kissed him. And once, when Sharon was older, Aunt Peggy had told her conspiratorially that she “would've done more than that” if she had known he was going to die.

And now it turned out that he was not dead at all. Sharon wondered if he would've been her uncle if things had gone the way they were supposed to. Once she asked Aunt Peggy if she regretted giving up her career, not becoming a super spy like Sharon wanted to. Peggy had said if she had done that, then she wouldn't have gotten to see Sharon grow up, and that things happened for a reason.

What reason was there for this?

*

There was a car waiting for them at the airstrip. Sharon felt nervous, like she was about to go on a blind date. She hoped Aunt Peggy had remembered to put on lipstick. Captain Rogers was nervous too; he fidgeted and asked, “Should I have brought her flowers?”

They stopped at a supermarket, which was over-whelming for the Captain. The flowers they had were kind of sad-looking. Aunt Peggy had never been a flowers kind of gal, and Sharon suggested a book instead. He was surprised when she showed him there was an aisle of books next to the snack foods.

She helped him pick out a book, and Coulson paid for that and the sad flowers without question.

Then she had to explain to the driver (again) how to get to the Carters' house. It was odd to be coming home with a group of strangers. She had to stop herself from calling it “The Estate,” which was more of an ironic nickname than an actual indication of the house's worth or size. She also hoped someone had vacuumed.

Then, at last, they were coming up the winding road that led to the old farmhouse. Sharon was surprised to see Aunt Peggy standing in the doorway, instead of sitting in her little library where she was normally found. She beamed at Sharon and then said simply, “You're late,” to a bewildered Steve Rogers.

Immediately, Aunt Peggy turned and marched off. They followed her back into her library (which had once been a sitting room before Aunt Peggy took it over), with Coulson trailing a respectful distance behind.

“So they found you,” she said, a bit breathless. “I owe Howard Stark a million dollars.” The smile slipped of her face, and she reached up to touch Captain America's cheek. “Haven't aged a day, have you?”

“It feels like yesterday,” he said. Aunt Peggy looked at him wistfully.

Sharon stepped back, closer to Coulson, feeling like she was intruding. “I don't know if this is wonderful or horrible,” she whispered to the stern-faced man. At first, he didn't respond and just watched as Rogers knelt by Aunt Peggy's chair and spoke to her in low tones.

Several moments passed and Sharon's mind began to wander. Then Coulson answered the question she'd almost forgotten, “Terrible.” He looked away like it was painful. He added quietly, “He didn't believe it at first, thought he'd been captured. When he saw Times Square, he learned this was America but he still didn't believe... He expected to wake up any minute, you could tell. We needed him to talk to someone he trusted...” Coulson trailed off as he looked at the Captain. "I've killed people with less regret than this. It's like kicking a puppy.”

Sharon listened while Aunt Peggy related who had died, and who was sick. Captain Rogers's face fell further and further. It was depressing; she didn't know how her aunt kept from openly weeping.

Eventually Peggy got around to talking about herself. She spoke about her time at the SSR after he'd gone missing, and then her move to Virginia, and finally she mentioned Sharon, with obvious pride in her voice. Sharon waved, embarrassed, as attention turned to her.

“I don't know what else to tell you,” Peggy said. “I'm glad you're not dead.”

Captain Rogers looked at his hands, evidently he did not feel the same way. “Everything is different,” he whispered. “I wish...”

The room was silent; they all knew what he wished.Then Peggy reached out and took his hand. “You were meant for more than this, you know,” she whispered. Sharon wasn't sure if she had heard correctly.

“I don't know,” Rogers began but Peggy cut him off.

“You said you could do this.” She squeezed his hand. Rogers's mouth snapped shut.

“I didn't mean this,” he admitted, blushing.

“Apparently this comes with the territory.” She smiled up at him. “Howard always thought the danger would come back. That's why he never stopped looking for you; that's why he rode that poor boy so hard. It's not easy. I gave that life up, and turned to my family, convinced myself it was over.

“But I read the papers. Giant robots, green monsters.” Her eyes briefly flicked to Coulson. “It's come back, and now, so have you." She smiled a bit sadly. "I feel safer already.”

*

The last thing Aunt Peggy said to Sharon was “Look after him, will you? He's a bit lost.” Then she hugged her fiercely.

Captain Rogers was quiet for most of the flight back to New York. He stared out the window, perhaps lost in thought. They were over New Jersey when he asked, “What did she mean green monsters and robots?”

Agent Coulson launched into the story of the Hulk. When pressed for details, he had to admit he had not seen the Hulk in action himself. Timidly, Sharon volunteered that she had at Culver University. She gave an abridged version of her report on the destruction there. Coulson nodded and then segued into the tale of Tony Stark.

“Howard's son?” Rogers asked, interested.

Coulson confirmed it and continued. He was up to the part where Stark was dying of blood poisoning—a detail that had not been released to the public—when they reached New York. Sharon wished she could hear the rest of the story; Coulson had vaguely referenced incidents in New Mexico. She knew there had been an attack on a small town there, but she didn't know the particulars.

As they got up to exit the plane, Coulson touched her shoulder. “We appreciate your help today, Agent Carter. If you talk to your aunt, tell her she's a miracle worker. He wasn't interested any of this a few hours ago.”

Sharon smiled, once again proud of her aunt, and happy that there were other people who appreciated her as much as Sharon did.

A little over a week later, she saw Captain America on the news, battling bad guys with Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and some other guy she did not recognize. She immediately phoned her aunt.

“Did you see?” she asked.

“I did,” Aunt Peggy replied.

“You did that,” Sharon insisted, but Aunt Peggy wouldn't accept that.

“I only told him what he needed to hear,” she replied. “It was the least I could do.” She paused and then added, “To be honest, I felt a bit guilty that I didn't sit around waiting for him when he never had the luxury of moving on.”

“So...” Sharon wasn't sure how to ask this question. “You never got married—that wasn't because of him?”

She could almost see her aunt frowning. “I thought I was lucky,” she answered. “After the war, I went back to school, attended rallies, and protests. There was no one to tell me to go back into the kitchen, as they say. Then about the time I started to wish I'd had children, you showed up.” She added: “It's not like I was a nun, either; I had my share of suitors--”

“I noticed you didn't mention Mr. Jones during our visit.”

Aunt Peggy laughed. “Oh, stop it,” she said.

Peggy had known Gabriel Jones in the military. Sharon wasn't sure if he knew Captain America as well. After he retired from the service, he started touring the country with an old time jazz band. Aunt Peggy always got all dolled up when he came to down, and the family loved to tease her about it. Sharon was certain there was something there, despite her aunt's protests. She had always had the impression that the only reason they were not more open about their relationship was because Mr. Jones's children were uncomfortable with their father seeing a white woman.

“If you see him, tell him..." Then she stopped herself. "Well, maybe it's better if he forgets all about me...”

Sharon stopped her there. “Just because you don't want to date him anymore doesn't mean he'd be better off forgetting about you. I don't have romantic feelings for you, and I don't know where I'd be without you.”

After that, they told each other they loved each other and hung up. Sharon never did find out what Aunt Peggy would've told Captain Rogers. Honestly, she didn't think to see him again; she expected her life to go back to normal.

*


	2. Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony took over this chapter the way Peggy took over the last. IDK why these characters are so bossy.

On Monday of the next week, Sharon looked up—once again—to find Agent Coulson standing by her desk. Someone seriously needed to put a bell on that man.  
"Agent Carter, may I have a word?" he asked. "Alone."

This time she followed him to an empty meeting room. "Director Fury has put me in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Avengers Initiative," he began. Sharon nodded. "I need more agents."

He let the statement hang there, the implication clear. Sharon cleared her throat. She was torn between warring instincts. Part of her wanted to desperately get out of the desk job, and do more work in the field. Another part of her knew that Coulson didn't really want _her_ ; Aunt Peggy was the woman for the job. She always complained when other agents got promoted just because their father was "someone" and it would make her a hypocrite for her to accept this.

"I'd really rather get a position based on merit, not who my aunt is," she began. Coulson cut her off before she could finish.

"I have been given the task of turning seven near-strangers into a cohesive unit—a family," he said. "I need people that the Avengers can trust, but also people that _I_ can trust."

"And you trust me?" she asked, incredulously.

"We've been monitoring your activity since the incident. Most people would have told someone—a coworker, perhaps—about Captain America," he explained. "And I've read your file. But if you'd prefer to stay where you are…?"

Sharon sighed. She had the distinct impression that she had lost this debate.

*

The Avengers were making their temporary home at Stark Tower, on Park Avenue. Coulson had told Sharon to meet her outside at an ungodly hour. She was really more of a night-owl and had gotten dressed in such a hurry that she hadn't had time to brush her hair; she just threw it into a ponytail and ran. Annoyingly, when Coulson showed up he looked exactly the same as he usually did, not harried in the least.

"We have three floors on the top of Stark Tower," he began without any preamble. "There are still some engineers and marketing people who work in the building; it's a security nightmare. I've advised that the team be moved to a building with a single purpose, but for now we have to make due with what we have. That means you should be questioning any strange people you see.

"You'll be given a room, in case you have to stay the night. They are as big as postage stamps and will actually manage to make your New York apartment look spacious. But it'll be all yours.

"For the time being, you've been assigned to Tony Stark. No one else wanted it. He's used to people doing things for him, so don't let him treat you like an employee. If he asks you to fetch coffee, you have my permission to threaten physical violence."

Sharon wasn't sure why she was so surprised. She had only assumed she would be working with Captain America, or the entire team. It was possible Coulson had taken her speech about not wanting to get the job based on who she knew somewhat seriously.

"This morning should be fun," Coulson continued. "And by fun I mean not at all fun. Stark was supposed to rewrite the code for the security system in the building. He's yet to do so. It's going to be your job to make sure it gets done by the end of the day. It will not be unlike babysitting," he said that last bit somewhat apologetically. "I will have detailed profiles of the team and the SHIELD staff for you by lunchtime. Good luck."

He left her outside an unmarked room. "That's not his bedroom, is it?" she asked, worried she'd open the door and see something she'd never be able to unsee.

"No, it's his workshop," Coulson said. "As far as I know, he hasn't slept in two days."

Sharon poked her head into the workshop. It was dark, lit only by the flickering blue of monitors. There were bits of odds and ends strewn about every surface. She heard Tony Stark's voice and followed it. He was arguing with someone, and when she turned a corner she was surprised to see it was a robot not an actual person.

"Come on, Dummy," he said. "Up, up!"

Sharon cleared her throat loudly.

Stark swiveled around in his chair to look at her. "Who are you?" he asked. Then, "Who is she?"

A computerized voice answered his inquiry: "This is Sharon Carter, Agent of SHIELD." The screens all flashed a picture of Sharon, along with some background. "As of this morning, she has been reassigned to the Avengers Initiative. Phil Coulson notes in the employee log that she is to provide protection and support for the Avengers Team, specifically Anthony Stark. I believe that is you, sir."

Stark's eyes flicked away from the screen and back to Sharon. "What happened to the last one? Couldn't cut it?"

"Yes," Sharon said, even though she had no idea what he was talking about. "Ran screaming from the building."

Stark shrugged. "What do you want?" he asked, then without pausing for her to speak: "Was that photo taken by the DMV? It's not very flattering."

"Coulson wants me to make sure you code the security system," she said. "And no, it was taken by SHIELD for my first ID badge."

"Maybe I don't want to write code today. Maybe I want to go outside and frolic," he said, turning back to his robot. "What are you going to do if I refuse?"  
Sharon crossed her arms across her chest. "I could shoot you?" she offered.

"Bad idea," he said. "Then who will you get to the do the code?"

"I didn't say I'd shoot you somewhere vital," she replied. "Maybe a leg—keeps the frolicking to a minimum."

He turned around again to look at her, this time with a bit more interest. "Can I see your gun?"

Sharon smiled. She pulled one from the holster under her suit jacket, and a second from her boot and raised them both in his direction. "This one is SHIELD issue," she said, wiggling her right arm. "And this one is just for fun."

Stark got up and moved to another computer. "Don't tell Pepper about this," he said.

"Your secret is safe with me, sir," the computer replied.

*

"This is boring," Stark said later, after he had been coding for only about an hour. Sharon said nothing. The man never stopped talking. She had to admit it was impressive that he could do the work while paying so little attention.

"I know it's my first day, but I'm fairly certain it's not my job to entertain you," Sharon said, as she leaned against a desk and watched him.  
Stark was quiet for about a minute and a half. "But you could at least talk; Widow is chattier than you."

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, examining her nails.

"You married?"

"Nope," she replied tersely. She hated that was the first thing people asked a woman.

"Oh," he said. "That might be a problem. See, I'm in a stable relationship for the first time, well, ever and I've seen enough TV to know girlfriends don't like it when a hot blonde is assigned to watch your back."

Sharon wasn't sure how to react to that. She, of course, had heard about his ways with women and had been nervous he'd try and hit on her. So she was relieved mostly, but she also didn't want to cause trouble. "What's her name?" she asked after a time.

"Pepper," he said with a smile. She couldn't help but notice that this one reached his eyes. It was annoyingly endearing.

"What if I tell Pepper how very not interested in you I am?" she suggested.

"Are you gay?" he asked. "Because that would be helpful."

"Sorry," she said.

Stumped, he went back to coding for another minute before asking. "Children?"

"No."

"Pets?"

"No."

"Dog person or cat person?"

"Dogs."

"Where'd you go to school?"

"University of Virginia."

"Hmm. What'd you study?"

"Foreign Affairs."

"I'm not touching that one." Sharon rolled her eyes at him in an exaggerated manner. "Any medical conditions I should know about?"

"No."

"Allergies?"

"No."

"Family history of mental illness?"

"Well my aunt was friends with your father so…"

The moment the statement left her mouth she knew it was a mistake. The mood in the room changed immediately. His face clouded only briefly—almost imperceptivity—and then he was back to his usual self. "I didn't know my father had friends," he joked.

"I shouldn't have said that," she whispered.

"See, we're getting to know each other." He went back to his computer. Then two minutes later he said, as if to console her: "Last week Cap called me Howard; that was much more awkward than this."

Sharon sighed, remembering how Captain Rogers had been confused by the new world, how he told her aunt that it was just yesterday to him. "He has an excuse. A voice on the radio told him they were going to get Howard, and then he fell asleep and when he woke up…"

The only noise was the sound of him typing. Then he said, "My dad was there when he went missing?"

"Yeah," she said. "You didn't know that?"

"He didn't tell me much," Stark admitted.

She opened her mouth to say something, maybe defend her aunt's friend, but then she shut it again. It really wasn't her place. Saying sorry also sounded wrong. Instead she went with, "Does the Daddy issues thing work on most girls?"

Stark grinned. "Like you wouldn't believe…"

*

With an exaggerated manner, Tony Stark told Coulson that he was done with the new code. Then he announced that he was going to bed. He added, "Also she threatened to shoot me. Is that allowed?"

"It's encouraged," Coulson said without looking up. Stark harrumphed and disappeared into his room. Coulson handed her a fat file. "I expect you to know it all by tomorrow." Sharon took it and went in search of a quiet place to read.


	3. Cousins

Sharon had the distinct impression that the Stark Industries CEO didn't like her very much. Pepper Potts seemed affable enough, but it was her job to keep an eye on Tony Stark's company. Sharon had to keep an eye on Stark himself, something that Potts would probably have preferred. 

"We can not cancel it," Potts said, placing her hands on the desk like she wished for something to strangle. "The MIT commencement was scheduled months ago."

"It's a security risk," Sharon repeated. "SHIELD doesn't want him so exposed in public. There might be more of Loki's army about..." 

Tony, as was his habit, kept out of these conversations unless he had something sarcastic to say. "I've been exposed in public before." Pepper and Sharon both glared at him. At least they agreed on that. 

In truth, Sharon wished she didn't have to rock the boat on her first week of duty. But she'd never been a glorified bodyguard before and she was ready to handle such a large event. Stark would be sitting on the stage in clear view for--she could only assume--endless hours of ceremony and the security just wasn't high enough. Anyone could sneak a weapon in under a cap and gown. 

"Then add security," Pepper replied, as if following her thoughts. "You're SHIELD! So shield!" 

Sharon frowned. She didn't understand why this was so important a risk. Chances were Stark would be too hungover to give the speech anyway. 

"I'm bored," Tony said, interrupting like a small child. 

Pepper made a frustrated noise and put her head in her hands. Evidently even the most inept of boyfriends knew that was a red flag, because Stark got up and whispered something to her. Sharon wasn't good with emotional displays, so she turned and left the room. Mentally, she added another thing to the list of problems she had to ask Natasha about. 

It was, she had to admit, that she now thought of the world's most famous female spy as "Natasha." Coulson had put Sharon and the Black Widow in touch early-on. It had been Natasha's job to watch Stark several months ago, and she had good tips. They'd even gone out together a couple times. Once they ended up doing shots with Clint Barton--Hawkeye!--who had promised to evaluate Sharon's aim one day. Sometimes it was hard to keep from geeking out. 

But most of the time it was hard to keep from smacking Tony Stark. 

"I feel like tacos," he said as he exited Pepper's office, like he had no care in the world. "Do you want to go get some?" 

Sharon rubbed her temple. "This is New York," she grumbled as she stepped onto the elevator. "Millions of people live here so they can order in and never have to "go get" anything." 

"You're cranky today," he observed. "You haven't offered to shoot me once." Sharon just shook her head and refused to take the bait. He added, "I think Pepper likes you." 

The elevator buzzed and opened to one of the SHIELD floors. "Don't you have work to do?" Sharon asked. The full Avengers Initiative was supposed to meet at the helicarrier that evening. Considering the heroes had nearly killed each other before, everyone else was stressed about the first real "meeting." Except for Iron Man. 

Stark just shrugged. "Fury asked me to find everything my father had on Project Rebirth and the SSR." 

"And you have it?" she asked. Stark hadn't returned to his home in California that she knew of, of course he was perfectly capable of flying there while she was asleep. 

He gestured to his empty hands. "Yes, I do; all his records are gone." 

"Welcome, sir, and Agent Sharon Carter," the computerized JARVIS voice greeted them as they entered (what Sharon had come to think of as) Tony's cave. 

"Do we know what they are looking for?" Sharon asked. She had to admit she was curious. SHIELD had sent agents to speak with her aunt several times. 

Stark shrugged. "It's about the Capsicle. I think they're his tissue will decay now that he's no longer frozen." He shrugged like the Captain's death meant nothing to him--something she was sure was not the case. "But Banner knows more about the super soldier programs than anyone and I'm not a medical doctor so I'd just as well stay out of it." 

Maybe he saw the concern on her face because he added, "And your aunt knew Erskine better than anyone so..." 

Sharon smiled at the thought of Aunt Peggy. "She helped him defect," she whispered. "Erskine, I mean. She was working with the French Resistance when they heard about this HYDRA doctor who wanted out... 

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah it sounds real romantic what with the Nazis and genocide and... I don't know, polio or whatever." He started up his computer and determinedly interfaced with his holograms. 

She smirked. Sharon loved hearing old stories about her aunt, but Stark bristled whenever his own father was mentioned. She was fairly certain if he heard one more tale of the 1940s, his head would explode. ... So far it was the only way she had found to annoy him back. 

She had to admit, she was rather enjoying this new discovery. "Did you know that your father was my godfather?" she asked, needling him intentionally. "Him and my Aunt did the god parents thing together. Does that make us related? I'm like your god sister?" 

"Unless you have the deep emotional scars, you're not a Stark," he grumbled. 

He typed furiously on his keypad and ignored her. Neither of them said anything for several minutes, until the silence became too much of a burden.

"So what was the verdict on tacos?", he asked. 


End file.
